The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating mixtures of liquid and gas, comprising a tubular wall defining an inner space and an outer space, inlet means for supplying a mixture of a liquid and gas into said inner space, swirl imparting means inside the inner space for imparting a rotary movement to the mixture of liquid and gas to separate the liquid and the gas, and outlet means for separately discharging the liquid and the gas from the inner space.
The term "gas" is taken throughout this specification also to include vapor.
Apparatuses of the above-mentioned type are suitable for use in columns for separating liquid/gas mixtures, as well as in columns for contacting liquids and gases for creating an exchange of matter and/or heat between the phases, followed by separating the phases. In such columns such apparatuses are mounted in or over openings in a tray arranged within the column.
When the above-mentioned apparatus is applied in columns for contacting liquids and gases, the apparatus is provided with a mixing chamber having separate liquid and gas inlet means. In said mixing chamber the liquid is atomized in the supplied gas stream so that matter and/or heat between the liquid and gas may be exchanged. The mixture of liquid and gas is supplied to swirl imparting means for subsequently separating the liquid from the gas stream.
Apparatuses of the above-mentioned type are widely used in the oil and chemical industry.
An example of such apparatuses is described in British Pat. No. 1,123,546. That apparatus comprises a cylindrical wall enclosing an inner space. A vane assembly is arranged within the inner space for separating liquid from a gas stream. The separated liquid may be discharged from the inner space partly through liquid discharge openings provided in the cylindrical wall and partly over the upper edge of said wall.
Another example of an apparatus for treating mixtures of liquid and gas is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,960. That apparatus comprises an inner space enclosed by a tube and provided with blades for imparting a rotary movement to a mixture of liquid and gas introduced into said inner space via the open lower end of the tube. The liquid, separated from the gas stream by the action of said blades, is subsequently discharged from the inner space via an opening in the wall of the tube. Said opening is arranged on approximately the same level as the blades. The remaining gas stream is discharged from the inner space via an outlet tube arranged coaxially with the main tube and having the lower end thereof arranged inside said main tube.
The above-mentioned known apparatuses provide a satisfactory separating action at rather limited flow velocities of the mixtures to be treated and at rather low liquid loadings. But, an increase of the flow velocity and/or liquid loading causes a decrease of the separating action. This decrease is due to re-entrainment of liquid by the gas stream on leaving the inner space of the treating apparatus.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treating mixtures of liquid and gas which apparatus has a higher efficiency, even at high flow velocities and/or high liquid loadings than the known apparatus.